Lawmakers will meet on Oct. 10 for “Veto Day.” One vetoed bill that needs to be overridden is HB 1581. HB 1581 would allow alternative treatment centers (ATCs), therapeutic cannabis dispensaries, to operate additional cultivation locations, including greenhouses, with approval from the Department of Health and Human Services. The greenhouses would have to meet the same security rules as the indoor grow facilities now used by the ATCs. Indoor grow rooms, currently required under state law, are totally dependent on electricity and fossil fuels for heating, cooling, ventilation and water circulation. Greenhouse production would allow ATCs to use much less energy, while producing medical strains with unique properties, such as higher levels of terpenes and other beneficial compounds. Cost savings could be passed on to patients.

There also may be an effort to resurrect the failed state monopoly bill on Veto Day. HB 1633, as amended by the Senate, would have handed $18 million to the NH Liquor Commission, for them to take over the cannabis market in NH. This bill would limit free enterprise and be bad for farmers and consumers. HB 1633 died, and it should not be brought back to life, because we have a chance to pass a great bill during the next legislative session. Please contact your state senator and representatives before Veto Day, Oct. 10.

James Riddle

Hillsborough